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The International SeaKeepers Society promotes oceanographic research, conservation, and education through direct involvement with the yachting community by enabling yacht owners to take full advantage of their unique potential to advance marine sciences and to raise awareness about global ocean issues. In the past 12 months, this Florida-founded not-for-profit organisation has expanded its outreach to the US West Coast and internationally into Asia. Daniel Barnes spoke to the society’s President and CEO, Richard Snow, to discover more.

Ahead of September’s Port Development MENA Conference in Dubai, Tarannum Syeeda, Senior Marketing Manager, Olga Gavrilova, Conference Director, and the rest of the team at leading event coordinator IQPC compiled a detailed report on the current progress of port expansion projects throughout the MENA region.

At the end of June, the infamous Boaty McBoatface, the latest type of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) developed by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), returned onboard the RRS James Clark Ross from its first scientific deployment in the Southern Ocean. The Autosub Long Range vehicle collected data on temperature, speed of water flow and underwater turbulence rates of the Orkney Passage, which is around 4,000m deep and roughly 500 miles from Antarctica.

On 29 October 2015, the Port of Rotterdam Authority launched a start-up accelerator programme called PortXL to entice businesses and people with innovative ideas and concepts to work their magic on the port and its related industries.

The Africa Mercy, owned and run by Mercy Ships, is the world’s largest charitable floating hospital; an accolade it will pass on to the newest member of the Mercy Ships fleet in about 18 months’ time. Currently under construction in China, Mercy Ships’ first ever new build vessel will be double the size of the Africa Mercy once delivered.

Whilst ever-improving connectivity makes the world seem a smaller place, merchant seafarers, who are typically spending 9-12 months away from home and surrounded by water, may tend to disagree. This time away from home and land has and always will be an accepted part of a career at sea, but for the charity Sailors’ Society, improving communication lines for these people is one of its missions. Daniel Barnes spoke to Sailors’ Society CEO, Stuart Rivers about the charity’s new found position as a ‘digital platform provider’ following the recent launch of a new smartphone app which will help link 28 welfare organisations together in the palm of your hand.